Helmut Marko is known for being tough on drivers in the Red Bull Driver Academy, with the latest swap between Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda a testament to how willing the team is to change things if something isn’t working.
Lawson had only completed two races before Red Bull decided it was best to swap him for the more experienced Tsunoda, knowing how difficult the 23-year-old would find it as they figure out how to maximise performance from the RB21.
The New Zealander was originally drafted in to replace Sergio Perez, whose form dropped off dramatically in 2014 and cost Red Bull the Constructors’ Championship.
Perez was chosen to partner Max Verstappen at the end of 2020, after the Mexican put together a strong season in which he won his first race at the Sakhir Grand Prix. Before he joined Red Bull, Perez had previously raced with Christian Horner’s Arden team in junior formulas and had a trial with Marko to race for him in F3.
According to his father, Antonio Pérez Garibay, the Mexican was once given a brutal piece of advice when Marko saw him in a test when speaking on Formula de 2.
Sergio Perez once told he was the ‘worst driver’ by Helmut Marko
Perez was looking for a drive in F3 when he trialled out with Marko’s team, however, the test did not go to plan according to Perez Garibay.
Host: “Did you get along with Helmut Marko? Did you have a good relationship with him?”
Perez Sr: “There is respect and today even though my son is out of the team, I am grateful to him. I’m going to give you an example. When you have a teacher of that level who takes you to his level, and it’s because of your improvement, you should never take it personally.
“Forget about Helmut Marko in F1, Helmut sacrificed Checo in F3. He gave him a test in F3 and told him he’s the worst driver that exists, take him away, he gave him back to Carlos [Slim] because he didn’t want him in F3.”
Sergio Perez still supports Red Bull after axe
Perez and Red Bull parted ways after a difficult year in which there was a lot of scrutiny on the Mexican, with the final two races of his 2024 season result in a DNF.
Despite being dropped while he still had a contract for the 2025 season, Perez says he still supports Red Bull and wants to see them do well.
Perez has backed Tsunoda to do well at Red Bull, knowing that he can bring a wealth of experience to the table to help improve their form.
